Pico Cafe

This is one of those places I’m reluctant to review because it’s so perfect for me, I don’t want others flocking here. The service: friendly. The pastries and breads: delicious and expertly made. The sandwiches and salads: just the right size and price. The atmosphere: low-​key, uncrowded, and good wi-​fi. In summary, they deserve your business, but please go elsewhere so it stays just the way I like it.

Great sandwiches, great coffee, great pastries, great atmosphere, great-​looking servers.
5 greats=5stars.

I really like this place– tend to visit it a few times a week. Love love love their ham and cheese brioche and spiced iced chai tea. Great customer service too!

Excellent place to hang out and get some computer work done while eating some high quality baked goods. The croissants are very good and the Wi-​Fi signal was constant, I will definitely be back. Another reviewer said there were no power outlets, but I found one for my computer just fine.

I’ve been to the café twice, so this review is based on two separate experiences with slightly different products each time. I score all my reviews on multiple criteria then average out the score for a final tally.
Location:
If you happen to live in this neighborhood the location is great since there aren’t many other business areas here. If however you live further south in Ballard the location is a bit out of the way, and does probably not warrant a trip here. Still I think the location deserves a good rating.
4 Stars
Appearance:
Outside the building is super cute and inviting. The building looks to be from the early 1900s and is in good shape and well cared for. Inside the facility is quite nice and as others have said there is a very nice «backyard» patio. Once disclaimer however, this DOES NOT make you feel like you are on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. It does make you feel like you are in a well landscaped Pacific NW backyard. The inside is a tad mediocre however. Could be spiffed up a bit.
4 Stars
Hours:
The coffee house is open early, but the deli does not open until 9:00. I came here the first time around 7:30 expecting to have a coffee and a breakfast sandwich and was disappointed that you can’t get a sandwich in the early hours. This is a bummer for me as most of the time I get a morning coffee with breakfast is well before 9:00.
3 Stars
Customer Service:
I’ve never been treated rudely nor have I been welcomed warmly. In general the people have been indifferent and the service I get from the employees I’ve interacted with, makes me feel like I am at a chain.
3 Stars
Coffee:
There are many reviews on this site mentioning Caffe Umbria. I don’t think they use it any more however, which is a disappointment. I am not sure what brand of coffee they are using now, but either way the delivery was average at best. I had a latte the first time I was here and an Americano the second time. The shots pulled for my first latte were way too fast and had a thin bland taste. The milk was heated but not fluffed and also tasted thin and boring. My Americano was a tad bit better, with decent shots, but still not great. In my mind there is no reason to come here with far better coffee in and around Ballard.
3 Stars
Pastries:
I’ve only had a croissant. I am not sure if I had one on a bad day or if the croissant is not the thing to get here. It was soggy and super greasy and no flakiness at all. Plus it was giant. It reminds me of those giant packaged Costco croissants. Very disappointing. With Besalu in the neighborhood I can’t see a reason to get pastries here.
1 Star
Sandwiches:
Best part of the experience, but again not close to the best sandwiches in Ballard. Maybe top 10, but not top 5. I had the Italian Sausage on a baguette. It was good. Lots of peppers, good bread and decent sausage. It was a good size (it could have been a tad smaller) and was a fair price. Still it is not a sandwich I’ll remember for the rest of my life. There are better sandwiches near here.
4 Stars
Overall rating:
3.14 (Pi?) rounded down to 3

I am a huge fan of Ristorante Picolinos but I am poor so I stop by Pico Café often to get my Picolinos fix without having to get dinner each time (weeping). My favorite thing to get at the café is their lasagna bolognese — I’m practically licking the sauce off the plate every time. They’re also dog friendly outside, in the café area and in the garden at the back. Huge plus for a new dog owner with separation anxiety! The service has always been great and their food is just delicious. Other favorites are the chicken pesto sandwich and the empanadas. Pico Café, I love you!

Found this café and bakery when we were on our way to the Nordic Heritage Museum. Stopped in a couple of times and got the usual coffee, tea and breakfasts goodies. Sis tried the potato and onion quiche, and it was ok. Unfortunately if you order something it has to be nuked, so not as good as right out of the oven. The garden where we sat was charming and cozy. And although it is outside, it is fully covered, so if there is a little precip, you won’t mind.

Very nice. I came in for coffee and a peach pastry. Staff was great. They have a full lunch menu here and they serve a lot of different kinds of wine. Decent seating and cute décor. Bistro atmosphere.

Absolutely delicious, adorable place, nice staff. Such a great place to pop into on weekend afternoons.

Decent area near the water with lots of dog lovers. Decent coffee and pastries. Comfortable place for locals. Dog wandering under my table now, cute.
Nice they add apple to their cinnamon rolls.

Love this place. same three baristas are always there. good food, good drinks, fun place.

Within walking distance from my brother’s new house sits Pico Café. It was brunch o’clock, so we split a croissant sandwich with egg, ham and cheese and a couple of pastries. The croissant sammy was good but nothing to cheer about. It was huge — hanging off the plate huge, but it wasn’t that good; maybe I would have enjoyed it more if it had been warm? It just seemed a bit dry. I prefer my ham and cheese croissants to have a bit of béchamel or something. A croissant is a calorie splurge for me so I’m extra disappointed when they aren’t just little flakes of happiness.
The coffee was good and though we didn’t sit there, apparently there is also an outdoor seating area. Maybe I would have liked the outdoor seating better than the close quarters of being next to a super awkward Sixties Going Steady internet date type thing happening next to me.

I had one bad experience, but given the circumstances, it is hard to justify a second try. I will go to Walters across the street.
When my son ordered a croissant, the barista rung up the wrong item by mistake. That happens, but when I pointed out that the price was higher than the item he asked for, she told me that the prices posted were wrong and they had not updated them yet. I was skeptical, because typically a filled croissant is more than a plain one. Regardless, if she was being honest, that meant everyone was unwittingly being charged more than they expected. Since I walk by every so often, I looked in a week later and the prices were the same as before. My assumption is that she overcharged us and then lied.
The tough thing for me is that I love the restaurant associated with this coffee shop, but do not want to give any money to a place where I was cheated and lied to.

well like you walk in there is either a girl or guy and they hey what do u want and bullshit with you and order your whatever then perhaps the owner comes in and messes with the ordeal of everything plus… ever notice how there are new people working there almost every other day have someone there work full time or something and have someone dress better its a coffee shop yes but come one least have your workers dress better like come one

Really nice plac… Umbria coffee, delicious pastries great service and nice sidewalk seating. Also not too crowded and noisy like other Ballard coffee shops.

Day old baked goods? WTF? and not just once, but twice! Come on!
And to add ice-​cream knowing that you are already putting walter’s out of business.
Lame!
Day old should be marked ½ off and wrapped. Getting home with day old is the worst.

Just what this microhood needed. And quite marvelous pastries in a beautiful setting. I don’t remember what I had, since I delayed this review for too long, but I do recall it melted in my mouth, and was both sweet and savory. Get it to go and go hop on the slide or swings at the playground at the Nordic Heritage Museum. This scenario equates to a joyous day.

This is the spot finally. In order of my needs:
1. Free wifi
2. Delicious brew.
3. Affordable brew.
4. Pleasant atmosphere (ie, quiet music and no vita-​mix or bean grinder incessantly howling)
5. Pleasant company (ie, no territorial locals looking down their nose at you for taking ‘their’ table, nice chill baristas who seem happy to have you stay rather than rushing you out the door)
6. In-​house made pastries. Their muffins taste home made in the best way possible.
7. OUT DOOR PATIO: This may be the most frivolous and yet my favorite feature. The back deck teleports you to a village on the cliffs of the mediterranean. With the summer we’ve been having, you only stand to lose out by not checking this spot out.
My only complaint is that there’s no power outlets in the back yard. Then again, they may be intentionally getting rid of their new squatter by forcing her to leave after 4 hours.

What a gorgeous little espresso shop! The barista was wonderful (she made my friend a new beverage when her overly exuberant golden retriever knocked the first one out of her hand the second we got back outside) and there were day old red velvet cupcakes on sale. Delicious, perfect lattes.
If I hadn’t had a Besalu croissant earlier that morning, I would have gotten one of their many pastries, some of which, the barista said, are made in house at the Picolino bakery.
Check out the great big sign inside featuring the two Italian Greyhounds mentioned in my review of the restaurant! I love it.

I had heard that Picolino’s had recently opened up a café that is connected to the restaurant. Being that it’s in Ballard and I hadn’t been there yet, I made the trip over this morning for coffee.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a fabulous looking little patio with big red umbrellas and tables out in front this morning as I walked up. Upon entering, you immediately notice their lovely pastry case, filled to the brim with fabulous fruit tarts and biscuits, croissants, quiches, brownies, cookies. even ruglach. It took every ounce of strength I had to pass these bad boys up– they are truly lovely and I’m sure they taste every bit as good as they look.
The barista was very nice and made me an excellent Americano. The concoction of caffe Umbria beans & a little bit of Vitasoy soy milk were absolutely delicious.
I should also note that I would love, love, love to spend some time just lounging in here sometime. The space is warm and inviting and there are lots of windows that allow in the bright morning sun…
Good stuff. I happily stamp Espresso Picolino’s with 4 star seal of approval.